Chapter 3
Meg is looking for Jo, who is in the attic, wrapped in a comforter, eating apples and crying over a book with the company of a pet rat named Scrabble. Meg says that they have received an invitation from Mrs. Gardiner for a party the next night. They discuss what they will wear and the fact that they don't have anything fancy for the occasion. They will have to wear the simple dresses they have.
On New Year's Eve, Meg and Jo dress for the party with the help of Beth and Amy. Jo accidentally burns Meg's hair trying to curl it. Jo doesn't have a pair of good gloves because she stained hers, so she borrows one of Meg's, and Meg takes one of her stained ones. Because she once stood too close to a fire, Jo's dress is burned ; she agrees to keep her back to the wall during the party.
At the party, Meg joins the girls there in gossiping. Jo decides to escape by hiding in a alcove, but finds that the Laurence boy is already hiding there. They begin talking and get along very well. He asks her to dance, but she tells him she can't because of her dress. They go into the hallway to dance where no one will see them. Meg later seeks out Jo, who is still talking to Laurie, and tells her that she has sprained her ankle. Meg won't let anyone give her a ride home and decides to wait for Hannah to come to see them home. Jo goes to get Meg coffee and spills it, so Laurie helps her. Jo decides they need a carriage, because Meg can't walk, and Laurie offers her his. When they get home, the two younger girls are waiting for them to hear about the party.
Topic Tracking: Poverty 3
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